by Dana Moss
“Nothing,” said Cara, looking away. “No one.”
Todd reached for Cara’s elbow. “How are you doing, Care Bear? Can I get you something to drink? You need to stay hydrated.”
Hadn’t Taffy heard Noel use that term of endearment with Cara before? Maybe he wasn’t the only one who used it. Maybe everyone called her Care Bear.
Maria was walking toward Taffy. “Hey, Maria. Have you met Tyler’s best friend Todd yet?” Taffy introduced the two of them.
“I was going to call you to see if you could come down to the station tomorrow. Nice speech, by the way. Had my stomach all up in knots.”
“Thanks,” Todd said. “Can’t we talk here?”
“It’s okay with me if it’s okay with you. But maybe we should step outside.”
Cara said, “If you’ll excuse me, I’m going to check on Noel.”
It didn’t look like he needed much checking up on. Shannon was right there by his side. But maybe that was part of the problem for Cara. As Tyler’s real mother, Shannon seemed to take priority. That was probably hard for Cara.
Taffy followed Maria and Todd outside to the wide landing above the steps.
Maria discreetly pulled out her notebook. She was never not working, and Taffy wondered if the chief hadn’t passed on the pressure from Mayor Gifford directly to her.
Taffy listened as Maria questioned Todd.
“What was Tyler like the last time you saw him?”
“You mean what kind of mood was he in?”
Maria nodded.
“Mad as hell.”
Taffy and Maria shared a glance. “At who? His family? Someone at school?”
“I had visited a few weeks before that. We would try to get together every couple of weeks to hang out, you know, after he moved. Ty had settled in pretty quickly, made some new friends, hooked up with a girl, but I guess you know all that already?”
Taffy said, “I told Maria some of what you told me at the mall.”
“I sometimes felt like a third wheel when I came to visit, but I went out with him and Jenny a few times, and to a couple of parties, so I met some of these other friends he hung out with. One guy in particular gave him trouble. Rex Gifford. Because he was Jenny’s ex.”
Maria nodded. “We’re aware of that.”
“I guess he didn’t like Tyler much either for moving in on his territory, but we’ve all got to deal with change sometime.”
“What was it like for you after Tyler moved away?”
“Hard. I missed my best friend. He was the only one I could confide in about certain things. I tried to visit as often as I could.”
Maria flipped back through her notepad. “Your parents divorced a while ago, didn’t they?”
“Yeah…What does that have to do with anything?” He glanced at Taffy.
“Shannon said you were really helpful in getting Tyler to adjust to his father’s remarriage.”
Todd smiled as if remembering.
Maria said, “Did you two ever talk about your broken home situations?”
“We never talked about it like that. Nothing felt broken. More like renovated. My world got better, not worse, when my dad married my stepmom, Rita. I knew Tyler would eventually come to feel that way about Cara. She was good to him. To me, too. Especially when Tyler would take off with his girlfriend. Noel and Cara would make popcorn and rent us movies so I didn’t feel lonely when I came to visit.”
“Tyler left you behind when you came to see him?”
“Only in the last little while. Like I said to Taffy at the mall…”
Taffy had heard most of this before. Her attention was drawn to some people exiting the church. Rex and Monica were among them.
CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN
Rex and Monica went partway down the block together, and then he shrugged her off and walked down the street alone. She stood on the sidewalk, watching him saunter away.
Taffy left Maria and Todd talking and went down the stairs and then down the block to catch up with Monica.
She seemed to sense Taffy’s approach, because she hadn’t even turned around before she said, “Hey there, Blondie.”
Taffy did not appreciate the nickname, but she chose not to react. “Rex sure looked like he was in a hurry.”
Monica shrugged. “Better things to do, I guess.” When she turned toward Taffy, her eyes looked wet.
She walked a few steps to the corner of the block where there was a bench. There, she dug into her backpack and pulled out a cigarette. She lit it.
Taffy frowned. “That’s so bad for you. Especially since…” She let her voice trail off.
“Since what?” Monica’s eyes narrowed as she inhaled deeply. There was a challenge in her look.
Taffy sighed. “Your mom. I’m sorry about your mom.”
Monica turned away, but not before a tear had fallen.
Taffy sat on the bench beside her. “I lost my mom when I was young too. So, if you ever want to talk—”
“Yeah, right. To someone like you?” She scoffed.
“Like me? What’s that supposed to mean?”
“Miss Perfect in Pink? Who’s got her life all figured out, so she goes around nosing into everyone else’s?”
“That’s not me! That’s not what I’m doing!”
She tapped her cigarette. “Isn’t it?”
Taffy frowned and glanced down at her patent leather pumps. Monica was so tough.
“You were right about the canoe,” she said, exhaling a puff of smoke as Taffy looked up. She pushed the smoke away from her face. “You know who took it?”
“Rex and I had been out on the lake before anyone else had arrived at the campsite. We took the canoe from his family cabin across the lake. We were… We were just hanging out there. He was still pretty messed up from his breakup with Jenny, and I was… well….” She looked away as her blush deepened. “Geez, what does he see in her anyway? I mean, for cryin’ out loud, she’s not even here. What kind of girlfriend is she?” She pushed the heel of her hand into one eye, smudging her mascara.
Taffy said quietly, “Were you waiting in the wings, Monica? You’d always had a crush on Rex, and you were just waiting for a chance to rush in and soothe his broken heart?”
She flushed deeply now. But then her mascara-smudged eyes narrowed defensively. “It wasn’t quite as simple as that, but yeah, I liked him. I have since seventh grade. I didn’t like the way Jenny jerked him around. And she did it a lot. There are things Tyler didn’t even know about.”
Taffy leaned forward. “Is that why they fought that night? Did Tyler find out about something?”
Monica hesitated and then nodded. “But it was Jenny’s fault. She’s been using him. Rex was just being Rex. Not that that was always a good thing, except maybe to me.” She sighed. “Jenny was kind of dependent on him, and she had been stringing him along, saying she was going to break up with Tyler and get back together with him, but he and I had already—”
“You were together at Rex’s family cabin?”
She nodded, “And again later, in my tent. Rex was with me all night. That’s why he couldn’t have done anything to Tyler. We were…you know.”
Taffy understood. “In joined sleeping bags, I get it. But I don’t think you can prove that now. Rex claimed he was asleep in his own tent, so that means he’s already lied to the police once. They might think you’re lying for him now. And maybe you are. Because you already have.”
Her eyes flashed. “Maybe no one would believe me—the police or our friends—but it’s true. He was with me. Not Jenny. She’d made a big fuss over Tyler before he left, and then she went to bed crying. But Rex, he made me swear not to tell anyone he was with me. He didn’t want Jenny to find out.”
“And now he doesn’t care?”
“No.” She exhaled again. “I don’t anymore. He can screw his perfect reputation. I’m not protecting it anymore.”
“You’ll find another guy, Monica. Someone who can appreciate you fo
r who you are.”
She laughed. “Don’t get my hopes up, Blondie. Seems to me all relationships are messed up. Just look at Tyler’s mom and dad.”
“What does that mean?” They seemed to be a pretty progressive team given all they were dealing with.
Monica took another long drag. Blew out the smoke. “His dad’s got a new wife, but he’s at the B and B all the time, with his ex-wife.”
“So their child died. It makes sense that they’d grieve together. Cara said they were working on this memorial.”
“Oh well, sure, if that’s what grieving and planning a memorial sounds like, you’d better alert the porn industry.”
Taffy stopped short. “Excuse me?”
Monica shrugged. “It’s not like I want to gossip or anything. I don’t like people getting into trouble. Including myself. But yeah. Squeaky bed springs. And I wash the linens.”
Taffy leaned back against the bench. Noel and Shannon were getting it on? Under these circumstances? And now with Cara pregnant…
Monica was eyeing her. “So what are you going to do with what I told you? Are you going to go running to Cara?”
Taffy shook her head. How could she tell Cara? She couldn’t hurt her like that. Not when she was trying so hard to keep her marriage stable through this trauma. At least she thought she was. Clearly, Cara was right about not being able to break the bond between Shannon and Noel.
Monica bit her nails as she watched Taffy think. “If she finds out you heard it from me and Mrs. Hawthorne finds out that I was gossiping about her guests, I could lose my job.”
Taffy smirked. Monica was always out for herself.
“Mrs. Hawthorne doesn’t suspect anything?”
Monica shook her head. “Her hearing’s pretty bad, and, honestly, I don’t think she thinks anyone gets naked except to have a bath.”
They shared a smile.
“How many times has he been here?”
“It’s not like I’m keeping tabs or anything, and I’m only working three shifts per week, so who knows. Plus it’s not really any of my business.”
“So why did you tell me?”
“I’ve noticed you seem to make other people’s business your business.”
“I do not! I only get into other people’s business when I care.”
“Is that so? Or is it when you have something to lose? Or gain maybe.”
“What would I have to gain in trying to find out exactly how Tyler died?”
Monica shrugged. “I don’t know. A sense of importance maybe? Knowing something other people don’t? Catching people in their lies so you can feel superior? Accomplishing something deemed worthy by society to cover up your rampant insecurities? I don’t know. Could be anything.” She shrugged again. “Everyone says you grow up after high school, but from what I can see, it never ends.”
Taffy frowned. “You’re awfully young to be a cynic.”
“You’re awfully old to care what a teenager like me thinks.” She stubbed out her cigarette. “Are we good now?”
Taffy nodded, still trying to process all that Monica had told her.
She picked up her backpack. It rattled again.
“What’s in there?”
Monica just smiled and walked away.
Taffy had to tell Maria about Noel and Shannon. It might have some bearing on the case. She wasn’t sure what exactly, but at least it wasn’t a secret she was sworn to keep, so long as she was discreet enough so Monica didn’t lose her job. But Taffy didn’t want to be the one to tell Cara what had been going on behind her back. That would devastate her. Maybe Taffy should talk to Noel directly? And discreetly. Not to tell him about Cara’s condition but to confront him about this information from Monica (but without implicating her in any way). But she couldn’t do it today. Not the day of his son’s memorial. It would be tasteless and tacky to accuse him of adultery today of all days. Did it count as adultery if it was his ex-wife? Taffy wondered. And maybe she shouldn’t burden Maria with this latest info just yet. She had enough on her plate with her mother in the hospital and a new engagement. Besides, Taffy needed a bit of time to think it all over.
CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT
On Monday morning, a school bus with the words Abandon Secondary rolled into the factory parking lot, and two dozen tenth graders piled out. Ellie looked out the upper floor window. “Ooh, they’re here! Showtime!”
“Isn’t Clint leading the tour?” Taffy said, leaning past Ellie to see the tumbling flow of students.
Ellie’s wide eyes glimmered with mischief. “Yes, but…” She slipped on her pink jacket and adjusted her sprinkle headband. “I’ve ordered all the elves to come out to greet the tour group. We have something special planned.”
“Is that going to disrupt production?” But Ellie was already out the door and down the hall.
Taffy followed Ellie down to the main foyer, where Aubin peered over her red licorice desk and a frazzled-looking teacher tried to get the students to line up into two neat rows.
Ellie strode forward with her arm extended. “Mrs. Henderson? Leader of the tenth grade misde-minors?” The frazzled teacher took her hand and started to smile at the joke, but then she stopped and stared down at the handshake.
“Just a little gumdrop welcome,” Ellie said, turning her wrist slightly so that when she released her grip, Mrs. Henderson saw a partially pulverized green mound stuck to her palm. “Go ahead,” said Ellie. “You can eat it.”
Mrs. Henderson gave her a weak smile and lifted the gumdrop to her mouth, but Taffy was pretty sure, with just a little sleight of hand, she’d managed to drop it into her purse, where no doubt it would pick up lint and stick itself to a seam of a lipstick tube or wedge into a keychain.
Taffy began to question Ellie’s plans, first with the gumdrop handshake and second when it appeared as if all of the employees were beginning to funnel into the foyer.
All the department heads and their teams had turned up in their uniforms and hairnets and stood in choir-like clusters. Taffy hung back near the chocolate bar door and watched as Ellie stood in front of the factory workers—ahem, elves, Taffy corrected herself—and pulled out what looked like a drumstick from inside of her pink coat. She opened her arms, swung out the stick, and all the factory workers hummed middle C. This silenced the teens. They stared as three dozen pink-jacketed, hair-netted people broke into a partially vaudevillian and partially barbershop quartet–style singsong all in time to Ellie’s swinging baton.
The teens soon started giggling and pointing, but then their teacher started clapping, and so did Aubin, and eventually the teens joined in too, laughing and clapping. As the vocal performance reached a crescendo, all of the employees dug into their pockets and then flung out their hands. The air was filled with tiny colorful balls of hard fruit candies usually sent off to a small chain of hotels along the northern California coast.
Seeing the shower of rainbow candies hit the floor, the teens dove and scrambled for handfuls. The employees dipped into their other pockets again, and a second later, showers of confetti fell upon the teens like a dusting of powdered sugar. Ellie twirled with her baton and belted out, “Welcome to the Sweetest Town on the Coast!” Aubin gasped from her post behind the counter, where she’d been clapping in time and smiling gleefully. Taffy looked on in a state of stunned surprise, a tiny fleck of confetti tickling her lip.
Clint stepped out from the barbershop quartet section of the choir lineup and said, “Right this way, children! Prepare to be amazed and astounded.” He let them through the chocolate bar door as the other employees scurried off to their various posts, resembling, to a small degree, Oompaloompas.
Taffy overhead one of the teens say, “This is the best field trip ever!”
A few of the teen girls near the back were giggling wildly. One thought she might pee her pants, and Ellie called up to Clint, “Don’t forget to point out where the restrooms are!”
When the last of them slipped through the door, Taffy
leaned against the glossy red counter. She’d only stood there and watched, but she somehow felt thoroughly exhausted from the performance. She glanced around at the litter of candies and confetti all over the floor. Then she turned to Ellie.
“Is that what you’re planning to do for every tour?”
“The brass band canceled at the last minute, but that’s the general idea.”
Aubin clapped with excitement. “I loved it!”
Ellie beamed. “What did you think, Taffy? I spent ages working it out.”
Taffy shook her head, and more confetti flakes fell to the floor. “I’m… well, frankly I’m flabbergasted.”
“But in a good way, right?” Ellie was clearly thrilled. Taffy didn’t want to rain on her parade, but it had all seemed a little excessive.
“How much practice did everyone put in to do that song?”
“Just a few evenings. Each week. Uh. For two weeks. We wanted to surprise you.” Ellie chewed on her thumbnail. “You didn’t really like it, did you?”
“It’s not that I didn’t like it… But it’s not like choir practice was in anyone’s job description.”
“Oh, but it will be!” Aubin flourished a piece of paper. “Ellie had me draft up an amendment to the contract.”
“Come on,” Ellie said, dragging her by the sleeve. “You have to see the rest of it.”
The rest of it?
“At each department, where each type of candy is made, I had special costumes made, specifically of that candy—like mascot costumes?—and that person will hand out samples that the kids can try.”
“How many costumes?”
“I lost count, but we’ll be able to have our own float in the Fourth of July parade if we want to. Believe me, all this will be good for business.”
“Has any business gotten done this morning?”
“On tour days, regular production might be a tad slower—”
“You said it wouldn’t—”
“But overall it will be faster because everybody loves the singing part. At first I was only going to have four or five people, but then everyone wanted to join in.”